Electrodeless fluorescent lamps generally require lower electrical power to operate than conventional incandescent lamps and are generally more efficient than incandescent lamps on a lumens per Watt basis. Some electrodeless fluorescent lamps have therefore been designed to replace incandescent lamps in standard fixtures. Like typical incandescent lamps, an electrodeless fluorescent lamp has a spherical bulb, or outer envelope. The bulb of an electrodeless fluorescent lamp contains a conventional fluorescent lamp fill, i.e., a mixture of a rare gas (e.g., krypton and/or argon) and mercury vapor or cadmium vapor. A solenoidal drive coil is situated within a re-entrant cavity within the bulb. In some electrodeless fluorescent lamps, the drive coil is wound about a ferrite rod which functions as a transformer core, with the coil functioning as the transformer primary and the gaseous fill functioning as the transformer secondary.
Upon excitation by a radio frequency power supply, current flows through the drive coil, establishing a radio frequency magnetic field within the bulb which ionizes and excites the gas contained therein, resulting in an ultraviolet discharge. Ultraviolet radiation from the discharge is absorbed by a phosphor coating on the interior surface of the bulb, thereby stimulating the emission of visible radiation by the lamp.
One problem with electrodeless fluorescent lamps is that the electric field between the coil and the plasma results in the flow of EMI currents. Such EMI currents typically exceed the limits set by regulatory agencies (e.g., the Federal Communication Commission in the U.S.A.). Furthermore, for electrodeless fluorescent lamps employing a ferrite core, the electric field between the core and the coil induces the flow of current in the core, resulting in additional losses, which may cause overheating of the core and extinguishing of the discharge.
Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the EMI generated by electrodeless fluorescent lamps, thus rendering them practical for widespread replacement of incandescent lamps, and to reduce the dielectric losses of electrodeless fluorescent lamps which employ ferrite cores.